


Wordless Voices

by tellmeaboutthedream



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:06:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6154690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellmeaboutthedream/pseuds/tellmeaboutthedream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd bolted to his aunt and uncle the moment his soulmate's presence in his mind had drifted off into slumber and had basked in their congratulations and happy smiles. He'd asked, over and over, and they'd assured him, over and over, that yes, it was perfectly normal to be unable to communicate so early on in their bond. </p><p>"But why?" he'd pouted, slumping against a wall.</p><p>"It needs time to grow, dear," Aunt Beru had replied, "I'm sure you'll be bombarding each other with emotions soon enough. Even when you don't want to."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wordless Voices

The first time Luke feels his soulmate in his mind, it's a sudden bloom of confusion and irritation.

Luke gasps audibly, scrabbling to reach for the light mental touch.

 _?_ , he sends, brows furrowing in intense concentration.

A burst of surprise is his response, then joy, surely fierce and burning bright, knocks on the door to Luke's mind and drifts through, reduced to the vague impression the mind link allows.

Luke grins and drops to the floor, the miniature T-16 model falling forgotten from his small, ten-year old hands, and crashing to the ground. Lips tugged into a big grin, Luke closes his eyes and tries to send the swelling of his excitement through the newly crafted bond.

It's like trying to thread a rag through a needle.

Luke frowns, huffing in annoyance.

His soulmate immediately responds with a vague sense of comfort and a wry sort of resignation, followed quickly by anticipation.

 _Wait_ , they seemed to say, _it'll get better_.

Delighted, Luke places a hand on his heart, absolutely certain somehow, that that would make it easier.

 _Okay_ , he thinks happily, accepting, _love you_.

* * *

He'd bolted to his aunt and uncle the moment his soulmate's presence in his mind had drifted off into slumber and had basked in their congratulations and happy smiles. He'd asked, over and over, and they'd assured him, over and over, that yes, it was perfectly normal to be unable to communicate so early on in their bond.

"But why?" he'd pouted, slumping against a wall.

"It needs time to grow, dear," Aunt Beru had replied, "I'm sure you'll be bombarding each other with emotions soon enough. Even when you don't want to."

* * *

Luke is fourteen when a sharp pain shrieks in his mind, jolting him out of sleep. A split second of fear, then-

Emptiness.

_Nonononono_

Not sparing a moment to think, Luke closes his eyes and launches himself into the space of his mind that belonged to his soulmate.

He searches frantically, seeing darkness where there had been a warm glow of contentment.

He calls out, reaches further, further until-

There. A thread, frayed and scorched, spiralling deep into the void.

He doesn't know what it means, not yet. Only knows that he cannot let it go, that he has to hold on. So he launches himself after it, breath coming faster, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Something begins to scream and batter at him, ordering him to _turn back, turn back, you'll die,_ but he grits his teeth and pushes himself forward, further away from the voice, further into his mind-

\- which begins to stretch, almost as if it's being torn apart. Further into pain. Further into darkness, and his vision starts to dim, the soft light surrounding the thread turning blurry and indistinct. Still he stretches, still he presses forward.

His eyes begin to burn with tears, and his lips part, and he's screaming, screaming as he falls-

and then he feels it, warmth surging up to meet him, curling around his outstretched hand. Scared, hurt, comforting.

 _I'm here_ , it seemed to say, _I'm here, please-_

He clutches weakly at the warmth, barely able to open his eyes, unable to even remember when he'd closed them. He draws it in close, curls around it, and drifts.

* * *

"Luke, honey."

The voice slices through the heavy fog of sleep in his mind, and his eyes flutter open. A blurry face hovers anxiously in front of him, and he pushes himself up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Aunt Beru?" he croaks, wincing as the movement sends a bolt of pain through his head.

"Shh, try not to move," his aunt replies, brushing a cool hand over his forehead, pausing for only a moment before continuing, "Luke, I know we haven't spoken much of this- but you have to know, Luke, you can't do anything like that again."

Luke leans into the touch and lets his eyes fall close once more, "I don't even know what I did!"

"You went in too deep, Luke," Aunt Beru states, voice stern enough to make Luke sit up and listen, "Now, I can only imagine one reason why you'd do that and-"

"He left," Luke cuts in, stubborn and trembling as he remembers the sickening emptiness that had left him bereft, "He left, and I had to go after him."

Aunt Beru regards him in silence for a moment before, "He?"

Luke nods, suddenly embarrassed.

"There was a second," he explains, fingers twisting themselves in the blanket that had been draped over his legs, "when I was drifting off. It was like... his consciousness surrounding me, and in that moment, it was as if I knew him. I knew his past, his present. His hopes, his fears. It was... amazing."

Blushing furiously now, Luke looks away and mutters, "I can't remember all that any more. Just- a few things," and then, eyes flashing, "I can't promise not to do it again, Aunt Beru. I won't!"

With a small smile, Aunt Beru shakes her head.

"We _will_ be talking about this later."

* * *

Later that night, as Luke drifts off to sleep, his soulmate wakes and reaches out to him, sending wave after wave of protective anger and gratitude. Luke can almost hear the words.

_"Never again."_

Grinning, Luke curls into the familiar warmth the bond provides, and sleeps.

* * *

Luke is eighteen when he storms out of the house, indignant and upset. A small query slips into his mind, and he huffs, pushing his irritation into the bond.

"I'll be lucky if I ever get off this rock," he mutters sourly, glaring up at a vapourator as he passes it, "I hope you're happy."

A curl of amusement slides into his anger and he scoffs, batting it out of his way, "Oh, fine, keep laughing."

Shaking his hair out of his face, irritated, Luke stops, and stares up into the sky. He grits his teeth, releases the tension from his shoulders, and lets out a breath.

"I just want to do something, be something more," he murmurs, carefully offering a mental apology to the bond, lips quirking up into a soft smile when it's accepted, a quiet comfort radiating from his soulmate in response.

Luke watches as the two suns of Tatooine descends below the horizon, and accepts the warmth, pretending, not for the first time, that his soulmate is beside him.

* * *

A year passes, and everything is different.

A year passes, and he's standing before the burning remains of his home and family.

A year passes, and when he feels a panicked worry flare up in his mind- he closes off the bond.

He climbs back into his speeder, dazed, and for the first time in a long time, he's completely alone.

He sits back, looks up into the sky, and cries.

* * *

He returns to Ben with dry eyes and a new focus in his stride.

"I want to come with you to Alderaan."

He notices the utter lack of surprise on Ben's face, and turns away, almost ashamed.

"There's nothing here for me now."

* * *

The Cantina is a dump.

Luke struggles not to scrunch up his nose when thick smoke practically assaults him. He parks himself at the bar gingerly and orders a drink, glancing around curiously at the many, many aliens that Luke was almost certain had grown roots and attached themselves to the ground.

Smiling uncertainly at the alien Ben was talking to, Luke accepted the drink the bartender slid over to him, and took a sip. It's not easy to swallow past the lump in his throat, the silence from the bond echoing accusingly in his head.

Sighing, he sets the glass down and timidly removes the block on the bond. He sends a quiet, guilty apology.

Immediately, anger, worry, desperation floods the bond, an insistent question pressing into his mind.

_Why?_

Luke tenses, fingers tightening around his glass.

What can he say without words?

He shifts, uncomfortable, and turns, leaning back against the dull edge of the bar, ready to settle with another apology when-

their eyes meet-

the bond flares up, burns -

and quietly, for the first time, they hear each other's voices in their heads-

_It's you._

Barely a breath passes before Luke is running, sprinting towards the man, his soulmate, mind filled with warm, dark eyes and giddy laughter, all upsets forgotten in the face of this- bright and beautiful and _I've been waiting so long_ -

They crash into each other, the man's arms sliding around his waist, Luke's hands burying themselves in the man's thick hair- and they're kissing.

The moment they touch, Luke thinks he can feel the universe letting out a breath, as if it's been waiting for this moment, waiting as desperately as he has.

His senses fill with the man's scent - slightly smoky and sweaty- and the soft press of his lips against Luke's, the gentle dig of fingers against Luke's skin.

Eventually they break apart, breaths coming harshly, and, dazed, he can only say, "Luke Skywalker."

The man huffs out a laugh, humour sparking in his eyes.

"Han Solo."

A throat clears abruptly somewhere beside them, and Luke's head jerks around. He blushes furiously when he meets Ben's amused gaze.

"I see you've found our pilot."

**Author's Note:**

> Well! This was just a quick story I did- no real point to it, I suppose- to take a break from working on this AU that refuses to work with me. It's not even that long!
> 
> Anyway, the last soulmate AU I had ended tragically, so, hopefully this makes up for it?
> 
> Also, I apologize if the character tag 'Han Solo' was a bit misleading, since Han doesn't appear very much here, does he? The AU I'm working on is told from Luke's perspective so I'm just practicing that here, please do let me know how it was, if that's not too inconvenient?
> 
> Oh, and my tumblr is [here](http://www.lukegonesolo.tumblr.com), please do drop a prompt or two if you want- I really appreciate being given the chance to stretch my writing muscles! 
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed the story; thank you for reading, and please do leave a review if you have the time/inclination!


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